Ann Saffi Biasetti, LCSW, PhD has been a practicing psychotherapist for over 30 years. She holds a PhD in Psychology with a Transpersonal concentration. She also is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) through IAEDP, a trained mindful Self-Compassion and Mindfulness teacher, a trained Polyvagal Theory therapist, as well as a Certified MABT practitioner and Certified Yoga therapist. Her doctoral research explored the role of self-compassion in eating disorder recovery. She is the author of multiple books including "Befriending Your Body: A Self-Compassionate Approach to Freeing Yourself from Disordered Eating" and "The Awakening Self-Compassion Card Deck." As a Somatic Psychotherapist, her approach to therapy is unique and informed by multiple trainings she has done throughout her clinical career. Her research, training and passion for self-compassion practice and the power it has to change up your nervous system and your relationship with yourself, others, and your life, frames all the work she does. She practices through a trauma-informed, holistic, neuropsychotherapy lens, helping you to investigate and make sense of what you are experiencing in your nervous system, sensations you feel in your body, your emotions, and your thoughts and we learn together how to understand and hold all of this through self-compassion. She is a Polyvagal informed therapist, mindfulness trained, and a researcher, teacher and trainer of self-compassion. She has developed a unique technique, Mindfulness-Based Embodiment ™ used within talk therapy sessions, that allows you to become aware of patterns, both in the mind and body, that may no longer serve you in your life.
In this episode, Dr. Saffi Biasetti and I discuss disordered eating and body dysmorphia, yoga and embodiment, other forms of somatic work for healing and much more. For more information on Dr. Biasetti, check out her website, https://www.anembodiedlife.com/, or her social media @anembodiedlife. Make sure to check out her book, Befriending Your Body, and her new Awakening Self-Compassion Cards: 52 Practices for Self-Care, Healing, and Growth, both available on her website. Follow me @joshkorac on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube for video clips, podcast previews, and more mental health content! If you are in a mental health crisis, please call 988 or go to your nearest emergency room. If you are from Colorado and are interested in scheduling a session, please reach out at sojourncounselingco.com/josh or josh@sojourncounselingco.com.
Takeaways
Preventing eating disorders should start from a young age by promoting positive embodied experiences for children.
Somatic therapy plays a crucial role in the treatment of eating disorders.
Supporting individuals with disordered eating requires seeing beyond their behavior and offering compassion.
Breaking free from oppressive systems and finding alternatives to diet culture is essential for promoting a healthy relationship with food and body.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
07:14 The Role of Yoga and Mindfulness in Psychotherapy
13:18 Integrating Somatic Work and Self-Compassion
22:18 Understanding Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating
28:21 The Influence of Peers and Media on Body Image
36:43 The Power of Embodiment and Self-Compassion
38:04 Moving Away from the Business of Shame
39:02 The Non-Duality of Mind and Body
40:14 Bringing Mind and Body into Connection
41:13 Preventing Eating Disorders from a Young Age
42:33 Positive Embodied Experiences for Children
43:25 Seeing Beyond the Suffering
44:09 Treatment for Eating Disorders
45:12 The Role of Somatic Therapy
46:11 Short-Term Treatment and Insurance Limitations
47:06 Empowering the General Public
48:01 Seeing Beyond the Behavior
49:00 Supporting Those with Disordered Eating
50:06 Breaking Free from Oppressive Systems
51:56 Alternatives to Diet Culture
53:23 Finding Joyful Movement
54:06 Trusting Your Inner Wisdom